Friendly President's XI v Belstone THE 50th year of Peter Hammond's presidency at Belstone Cricket Club saw his side contest a close, hard-fought match with the club which ebbed and flowed throughout the afternoon. After a slow start and two early wickets for Harry Bushin (8-2-39-2), the President's XI laid the foundations for their innings with a stylish 86-run partnership in just 51 minutes between Bideford CC overseas player Josh Roach and Sam Ewen. The rapidly accelerating total had reached 101 in the 22nd over when Ewen was out for 31 to a superb one-handed diving catch by Chris Walpole running back from gully off the bowling of Matt Dennis. Roach soon followed for 67, having stroked eight fours and two sixes, but a second important partnership then developed for the fifth wicket between Jack Hatton (five fours in 44) and left-handed veteran Cleave Collins (four fours in 27) which added 78 runs in 13 overs. A chaotic final two overs saw four wickets clatter for two more runs, but by then the President's XI had reached a competitive 40-over total of 195. Belstone's reply began cautiously as Roach and Fred King bowled four maidens in the first seven overs. The run-rate began to pick up as Scott Tremain added 39 for the first wicket with Tom Pearce (18) and then 48 for the second with Tom Boother (24), so that at the half-way stage the score of 79 for one closely matched the President's equivalent of 85-2. Ten overs later Belstone looked to be odds-on favourites for the win: another 78 runs had been added with Tremain playing with great authority and panache, having reached his fourth half-century of the summer after 94 minutes at the crease. James Walker (21) helped him add 66 for the fifth wicket before he was out to the returning Roach with the score on 164. Disaster followed for Belstone as King also returned to take two wickets in two balls followed by the crucial match-turning moment when Tremain lofted Roach to the long-on boundary where Alex Jopling took the second extraordinary catch, a stunning one-handed twisting airborne effort. Tremain was out for 82 having hit eight fours and a six while Belstone had lost four wickets for two runs in 13 balls. There were still six overs left for them to score the 30 runs needed but with only two wickets left it proved too much with Walpole (13) giving Julian Baker his third catch behind the stumps and the final wicket falling with two balls remaining, leaving the President's XI the winners by eight runs.

North Devon division two P W L A Pts Belstone 8 5 2 1 110 Beaford 6 3 2 1 70 Shobrooke Park 8 5 2 1 104 Bratton Fleming 6 2 4 0 69 Barnstaple and Pilton 8 3 4 1 73 Holsworthy 9 6 3 0 125 Victoria Park 7 0 7 0 13